Package structure

ABSTRACT

A package structure comprises a flexible hollow article having a vertical wall with vertically extending channels therein. Vertically extending load transmitting members are disposed within the channels and extend from the bottom of the article to the top thereof and an outer wrapper made of paperboard or the like surrounds the article and the load transmitting members and is in contact therewith. The wrapper, the load transmitting members, and the flexible hollow article therein are encircled by at least one flexible strapping member to take the lateral pressures incident to flowable material confined within the article. The packaging structure may be secured to a pallet having openings at the sides thereof for the entrance of the tines of a fork lift truck or the like. The load transmitting members are in bearing contact with the pallet to transmit the load from an upper package structure to a lower one.

United States Patent [191 Starr PACKAGE STRUCTURE [75] Inventor: Anthony J.'Starr, Wilmington, Del.

[73] Assignee: Container Corporation of America,

Chicago, 111.

[22] Filed: Mar. 31, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 239,911

[52] US. Cl. 229/14 BE, ISO/0.5, 206/46 L [51] Int. Cl B65d 5/40, B65d 5/50, B65d 5/60 [58] Field of Search 229/ 14 BE; 206/46 L, 206/46 R, 65 B; ISO/0.5

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,179,323 4/1965 Miller 206/46 R X 2,669,351 2/1954 Carson et al. 206/46 L 3,338,402 I 8/1967 Becker et al. 206/65B' 2,594,287 4/1952 Budd 206/65 B 3,474,843 10/1969 Maris ISO/0.5 3,541,752 11/1970 Ness 206/65 B X Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer Attorney-Carpenter, Ostis & Lindberg Dec. 25, 1973 [5 7] ABSTRACT A package structure comprises a flexible hollow article having a vertical wall with vertically extending channels therein. Vertically extending load transmitting members are disposed within the channels and extend from the bottom of the article to the top thereof and an outer wrapper made of paperboard or the like surrounds the article and the load transmitting members and is in contact therewith. The wrapper, the load transmitting members, and the flexiblekhollow article therein are encircled by at least one flexible strapping member to take the lateral pressures incident to flowable material confined within the article. The packaging structure may be secured to a pallet having openings at the sides thereof for the entrance of the tines of a fork lift truck or the like. The load transmitting members are in bearing contact with the pallet to transmit the load from an upper'package structure to a lower one.

1 Claim, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED m2 5 I975 SHEET 10F 2 FIG3 PAIENTED DEC 25 1915 SHEET 2 [1F 2 FIGS LTS

1 PACKAGE STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THE lNVENTlON 1. Field of the Invention The invention herein relates to packaging structures having a hollow flexible container for flowable material, the lateral pressures incident to the material therein being confined by a wrapper surrounding the article and constrained by strapping material, the vertical load of the package structure being transmitted from an upper structure to a lower structure through load transmitting members disposed in channels in the vertical side of the hollow article. A pallet may be interposed between the package structure and a like lower structure, and includes structure for transmitting the vertical load of the upper package structure into the lower structure.

2. The Prior Art The prior art is best exemplified in the following US. Pats. which were developed in a search:

Fairchild, No. 357,276, Feb. 8, 1887 (ISO/0.5);

Blair, No. 2,378,126, June 12, 1945 (ISO/0.5);

Toffolon, No. 2,696,235, Dec. 7, 1954 (ISO/0.5);

Higgins, No. 3,128,811, Apr. 14, 1964 (ISO/0.5);

Marshall et al., No. 3,451,452, June 24, 1969 (ISO/0.5);

The structure according to this application constitutes an improvement over the prior art in that vertical loads aretransferred between superimposed structures by means of load transmitting members occupying channels formed in a flexible hollow article of the total structure.

THE DRAWINGS FlG. 1 is a perspective view showing a packaging structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view showing a hollow article forming part of the structure of HG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view showing the manner in which the hollow article may be enclosed within an outer wrapper and provided with load transmitting members arranged to transmit the vertical load of the packaging structure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the packaging structure enclosed within a hollow wrapper and placed in position upon a load transmitting pallet;

F IG. 5 is a view similar to F IG. 4 showing the package structure strapped in placed to the pallet; and

HG. 6 shows a pair of structures having a load transmitting pallet therebetween, the bottom of the two structures being disposed upon a bottom pallet.

The package structure according to the present invention is referred to by the reference numeral 10 and comprises a flexible hollow article enclosed within an outer wrapper W. The flexible hollow article 15 may be made of blow-molded polyethylene or propylene and comprises vertical walls 12, a top wall 13 molded integrally therewith and a bottom wall 14 also molded integrally therewith.

Top wall 13 has combination filling and vent devices 16 and 17, the details of which form no part of the present invention, and which may be opened whereby the hollow article can receive a quantity of any flowable material such as liquid or granular material.

Each of the vertical walls 12 has a vertically extending channel 18 therein of essentially rectangular cross section, each of the channels extending for the distance between the top 13 and the bottom 14.

The hollow article 15 is adapted to be placed within a wrapper W having side walls 19 corresponding in dimension to the side walls 12 of the hollow article 15, the wrapper W having bottom structure 21 and top closure flaps 22, 22 which can be folded into a closed position.

When the empty article 15 is placed within the outer wrapper or container W, load transmitting members 23 are placed in the channels 18, the load transmitting members 18 extending from the bottom of the article 15 to a point slightly above the top thereof, all as seen in FIG. 3, to provide clearance for the filling and vent devices 15 and 17. After the hollow article 15 is loaded with flowable material, the flaps 22 are closed in a conventional manner and the wrapper W together with the article 15 is placed upon a pallet P.

At least one strand of flexible strapping material FS is placed around the girth of the outer wrapper W with the article 15 and the load transmitting members 23 inserted into position. Flexible strapping material FS is provided to take the lateral pressures incident to the flowable material confined within the hollow article 15.

The pallet P consists of an upper stage US and a lower stage LS spaced therefrom, the two stages being separated by load transmitting structures LTS, these being spaced to provide openings 0 in the sides of the pallet P for the entrance into the pallet P of the tines of a fork lift device, not shown.

As seen in FIG. 5, the packaging structure is held to upper stageUS of pallet P by additional flexible strapping material FS extending around the wrapper W and the article 15 in planes which are normal to the planes of the strapping material FS around the girth of the wrapper.

As seen in FIG. 6, it will be noted that each load transmitting member 23 is in alignment with a load transmitting structure LTS of the pallet P, the load of the upper packaging structure being transmitted through upper stage US of pallet P by the load transmit-.

ting structures LTS which are in vertical alignment with the load transmitting members 23, 23 of the upper and lower package structures seen.

1 claim:

1. A package structure comprising:

a. a preformed parallelepiped shaped flexible hollow receptacle having vertical walls with preformed vertically extending channels therein;

b. a separate unattached vertically extending load transmitting member disposed in close fitting relation within each channel and having an exterior surface lying in the plane of its related vertical wall;

c. an outer container made of paperboard or the like and having vertical walls contacting the vertical walls of said hollow receptacle and the exterior surfaces of said vertically extending load transmitting members and including upper and lower closure members in bearing contact with upper and lower extremities of said load transmitting members;

d. at least one band of flexible strapping material around the girth of said outer wrapper and constraining the walls of said outer wrapper against said vertically extending load transmitting members and the vertical walls of said hollow receptacle. 

1. A package structure comprising: a. a preformed parallelepiped shaped flexible hollow receptacle having vertical walls with preformed vertically extending channels therein; b. a separate unattached vertically extending load transmitting member disposed in close fitting relation within each channel and having an exterior surface lying in the plane of its related vertical wall; c. an outer container made of paperboard or the like and having vertical walls contacting the vertical walls of said hollow receptacle and the exterior surfaces of said vertically extending load transmitting members and including upper and lower closure members in bearing contact with upper and lower extremities of said load transmitting members; d. at least one band of flexible strapping material around the girth of said outer wrapper and constraining the walls of said outer wrapper against said vertically extending load transmitting members and the vertical walls of saiD hollow receptacle. 